Large Building - Steam Heat, Old Pipes..... comments???

Earthmom

western Kentucky

Bruce MacNeil

Larg-ish Building, steam heat, new boilers, woes...

Hello,

I live in a factory to condo conversion. The building is 5 stories with each story maybe 40,000 square feet. The aged boiler has just been replaced with 2 3-million BTU units and we are in the midst of working through troubles.

Troubles:

1) Fuel burn rate is high. As high or higher than the replaced boiler.

2) Operating pressure seems high. The pressure is 6 or 7 psig.

3) condensate return is quite cold - I can hold the pipe no problem and the low side of the radiators are cold.

4) pipes bang

5) The new thermostatic Heimeier valves are unable to shut down the heat to some radiators.

7) Some of the units are too hot.

8) The steam supply pipes are all uninsulated.

9) The boiler system has trouble getting going at startup.

10) The timed pulse flow valves on the steam risers appear ineffective.

11) The building windows are huge, old single pane and drafty.

12) We are in process of replacing all of the steam traps with the TLV RT3A trap -> this trap is designed to operate at a minimum differential of 1.5 psig. I am not sure the differential is great enough.

13) The consultant told us that the new boilers were sized for the building heat loss and not the connected load.

I have suggested that we:

a) insulate the steam pipes
b) evaluate other model steam traps
c) install curtains on the windows
d) lower the operating pressure
e) attempt to slectively reduce the EDR in the building by closing or removing radiators and insulating pipe.


I am eager to hear comments and suggestions.

Fine regards - Bruce

DanHolohan

I think

you need a steam-savvy consultant on this job to look everything over and take it all in, as a system. That's what I would invest my money in before I did anything else.

Steamhead

Bruce, where are you located?

There should be someone near you who can help. Try the Find a Professional page of this site. If you're in the Baltimore area, e-mail me.

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Mad Dog

I Got New York Covered

Mad Dog

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Earthmom

new system not heating part upstairs

We live in 119 year old school - converted apartments 1920's
converted private home 1970's. We just had installed new
$8,000 boiler with new 'fangled' water pump. After much
tweeking and hammering and new valves and changing the
pitch of pipes , etc.---- it is finally working ----
except half of the upstairs only sometimes gets heat.
Our poor contractor is starting to loose money because he is here so much.

Steamhead

You also need a good steam man

where are you located?

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